The More Things Change...
by ilac
Summary: My first fanfic. Looks at the relationship between Freya and Amarant. Chapter 4 up. Please review and tell me how I'm doing!
1. The Reunion

It seemed like the whole world was in Alexandria to see the play, and of course, the reunion of Zidane and Dagger. It had been a happy moment for everyone up until the time where people had started to drift back into the city and go home for the evening. She didn't know why, but a depressed mood suddenly came over Freya. She had enjoyed the time spent with Zidane and the rest of the gang. She had made a notable difference in the world, and had ended up with Fratley. She knew she should be happy that it had ended as well as it did, but she felt as if when they all parted ways, it would be like the last chapter in a book; so final, but yet so incomplete. They would all move on in their separate directions, and eventually lose touch with each other, then eventually forget about each other, and…

"Have you been petrified, or do you just enjoy standing in the way?"

Freya jumped slightly and turned around to see Amarant standing behind her. She shook her head and brushed the depressing thoughts to the back of her mind as she composed herself.

"Hello, Armarant. I didn't see you when I got here. I assumed you weren't going to come."

"What? And pass up the free lodging and meals that I'm sure the queen will bestow on us? Not likely."

Freya felt her spirits lifting as she talked to him. She considered him a friend, although she had no idea if the feeling was mutual. He was very good at hiding his thoughts and feelings behind that thick curtain of red hair. Even facial expressions were impossible to read. Something as simple as a smile was usually unreadable, although Freya had been around him enough to see his cold exterior slip and a flash a grin. 

"You haven't changed, Amarant. It's good to see you again"

"Well, I wish I could say the same…too bad. Now, let's go see what kind of grub we can get…"

Freya smiled and nodded. They walked up to the castle, where Stiener and Beatrix were standing. Steiner's expression lit up as he looked at Freya.

"Hello, Lady Freya. The queen will be very happy to see you. Everyone else is already in the banquet room. Please make yourself at home."

Steiner's look hardened somewhat when he turned to Amarant.

"The queen's invitation also goes out to you. However, I will be watching you. The first sign of trouble I have with you and you will be banished from the castle."

            Amarant gave an arrogant shrug and walked through the doors. Freya sighed and smiled at both Beatrix and Steiner before thanking them. She walked through the castle entrance and followed Amarant to the banquet room where everyone was already sitting. They were all there: Dagger, of course, Zidane, Vivi, Eiko, and Quina. Amarant leaned lackadaisically against the wall as Freya bowed slightly and sat down. Dagger rose happily, and eagerly looked at them both. "I am so glad that you both could make it. It has been some time since we have all seen one another. I have invited the others to stay here at the castle for a few days. I would be very pleased if you both would accept my invitation also."

            Freya glanced at Amarant and could tell that he was smirking. 

            "Sure." Amarant said. He liked giving one word answers. They could only be taken one way, and not read into at all.

            The queen's gaze turned to Freya.

            "I would be honored to accept your invitation."

            Dagger grinned as she clapped her hands together. She sat down motioned for everyone to begin eating. In a few minutes, everyone was enjoying a plate full of food and they all began talking about what they had been doing since they had last seen each other. Freya was enjoying herself as she listened to the merry conversations. She nodded every once in a while and made an occasional, yet subtle joke about Zidane, who would, in mock anger throw some of his food at her. But, after a while, she began to think those depressing thoughts. She was happy that she was there in the company of her old friends, but she didn't know why she kept coming to the conclusion that they would eventually forget each other. She kept imagining her life at an old age where Zidane or Dagger didn't exist, or Steiner, or Quina, or Eiko, or Vivi, or…Amarant. She shook her head and tried to come out of her daze. She looked to her left and found Amarant sitting there. "I must have really been out of it. I didn't even see him sit down." she thought to herself.

            Amarant looked at her. "Daydreaming again, huh?"

            Freya shook her head. "I'm just a little tired from the trip, I think."

            Zidane hear what she said. "I think we're all a little tired. It's late, and we have all day tomorrow to catch up with each other." He looked at Dagger. She nodded.

            "I think that is a good idea. I will show you all to your accommodations."

            Zidane shook his head. "All that common folk talk I taught you. It's completely gone!"

            Dagger looked at him and shrugged. "Well, I am a queen now. Let us all head upstairs to retire."

            Zidane laughed and shook his head as the group followed Dagger upstairs. She led them all to their separate rooms. As it was, Freya's and Amarant's room were directly across the hall from each other. Freya stepped inside the room and heard Zidane make one of his quips about where he would be lodging, and then heard Steiner yelling all the way down the hall. She chuckled to herself and shook her head. No one had changed a bit since she saw them. That was a comforting thought. She reflected upon that as she lay in the bed, but for some reason, she was having a very difficult time sleeping.


	2. A New Outlook

            He wasn't sure why he couldn't sleep. He should have dozed off quickly, as the bed was much more comfortable then the makeshift beds he was used to sleeping on. He guessed it had been about an hour since everyone went to bed, and he was starting to get a little frustrated that he was still awake. As Amarant tried to mash the pillow into a comfortable shape, he heard a door squeak. He wasn't sure if it was across the hall, or the one next to his. He got up quietly and hoped it wasn't the one next to his; that's where Dagger had put Eiko, and he tried to avoid her as much as possible. He cracked open the door, and looked down the hall. He saw a figure saunter out towards the stairway. The figure was too tall to be Eiko, so he decided it must have been Freya. Wondering whether to follow her or just go back to bed, he made up his mind as he silently hurried to the stairs. He rushed down them as quietly as he could and looked for Freya. He didn't see anyone, but he knew she couldn't have been far. "I'll bet that rat's down by the moat…" He left the castle and looked at the edge of the moat, and sure enough he saw Freya sitting by the edge of it. 

            He quietly sat down next to her, although not particularly close, and looked at her. She looked miserable; her back was slouched, and her shoulders were slumped as she buried her face in her hands. She straightened up slightly as she looked at him.

            "What do you want, Amarant?"

            He thought to himself for a minute. He wasn't sure what he wanted. "I, heard someone walking around, and I wanted to check it out." 

            "Well, you can go back to sleep now. It's just me, and I'm fine." 

            "You don't look fine." Amarant blushed slightly. He had meant to think that, not say it out loud. Oh well, as long as he was out here, he might as well convince her to go back up to her room, as long as he didn't let himself slip again. "I wasn't sleeping anyway, so you might as well just get it off your chest and go back to bed."

            Freya was unsure what to do. He sounded sincere, well, as sincere as Amarant could be, and she did feel like talking to someone…but she knew Amarant probably wouldn't understand, but still…

            Amarant sighed. "Is it Fratly?" he asked. When Freya put her head back in her hands, he knew that must be what she was upset about. He sighed and rolled his eyes. He was hesitant to say anything else, and after what seemed like an eternity, almost thought about giving up and going back to his room. 

            Then Freya looked at him. "He still doesn't remember me at all. I didn't think that would matter much, but it does. He does care about me, but I think he feels that he has to. What we had is gone forever…and then there's you guys. Once we all leave here in a few days, we might never see each other again…one way or another, the people who are important to me seem so slip away."

            Amarant sighed. "Common, Freya. You'll see us again. You're so unlucky, you'll probably see me again lots of times. And maybe Fratley will remember you again someday. But it won't do any good to torture yourself. You know what you always said? 'To be forgotten is worse than death'? You keep applying that to Fratley, but he's not the only one that knew you. None of us have forgotten you."

            "…You're right, Amarant. I may not be able to change things, but I can change by outlook. I owe you one."

            "You owe me two now." Freya gave him a puzzled look. "Remember? I saved your sorry tail in the fire shrine?"

            Freya remembered. She shook her head and gave him a shove as she got up. "Yeah, thanks to Zidane saving _your sorry tail in Ipsens castle…"_

            Amarant shrugged it off. "I don't have a tail."

            Freya growled as Amarant stood up. In one of his weaker moments, he gave her a quick pat on the back and began to walk back to the castle. Freya followed him. Soon, she was back in her bed and resting a little easier. She still had more time to spend with all of her friends, and she decided to enjoy the present, something she hadn't been able to do in a long time. 

******

Well, how was it? I'm sorry if it was a little short. Please tell me how I can make my next one better. Thanks!


	3. Shocking News

            Amarant woke up just as the sun began to filter into his room and the birds outside began to sing. He wearily sat up as he rubbed his face and tried to wake up his groggy mind. As he got ready to go downstairs, he suddenly remembered what had happened last night. He didn't know what had come over him. He thought of a time when he wouldn't even have thought twice about someone else's personal angst. Now, here he was, staying up half the night and trying to comfort someone. "You're going soft, Amarant…" he told himself. Shaking his head, he finished buckling his arm bands and headed down. 

            Freya squinted as she saw the first sunlight of the day stream through the window. That was one nice thing about Burmecia; no harsh sunlight hitting you in the face first thing in the morning. She rolled over and pulled the blanket up over her head, but it was no use. She was awake and thoughts were beginning to swirl in her mind. She was a little confused by some of the things Amarant had said to her the night before, but she was glad he had said them to her. She pulled herself out of bed and started to get dressed.

            When Freya got downstairs, she found Vivi, Eiko, and Amarant already there. Eiko was the first to see Freya. "Hi, Freya! Look what I got!" Eiko pointed to the large pink bow in her hair. "When I got back to Madain Sari, Morrison and Momatose and all the others gave it to me! It makes me look even more grown up, don't you think?" Amarant coughed, trying to hold back the response he would have given her, if Freya had not been standing there. Eiko turned around and put her hands on her hips. "You are SO mean, Amarant! It figures you wouldn't know good craftsmanship. I'll have you know that I could sell this bow for almost 20,000 gil, that's how good it is, but I won't 'cause…" Freya stepped in. "I think it's lovely, Eiko. It's just the right accessory for a young woman." That seemed to calm Eiko down, and she went back to the conversation she was having with Vivi. Freya walked over to Amarant and sat down by him. 

            "It's about time you got here. They're the only ones up, and they insisted on having a conversation about moogles." He shuddered slightly. "I hate furry, pink things."

            Freya laughed, and then they both sat there for a few minutes, not saying anything. They were thinking about what had happened the night before, but neither one wanted to address the topic. Finally, the silence was shattered as Quina walked in through the kitchen door. "I make good breakfast! We all ready to eat now!" As the smell of breakfast diffused upstairs, the others began to slowly drift down. Soon, they were once again sitting at the table eating, and Freya was in a much better mood this time around. 

            They all finished eating and laid back in their chairs slightly, letting their food digest. Zidane had just started telling a joke as a moogle rushed into the room. Out of breath, it sputtered, "Freya! I must speak with Freya!" Freya rose form her chair, her heart starting to beat a little faster. "Y-yes? I am Freya Crescent." The moogle rushed over to her. "You must get back to Burmecia! There has been an accident involving Sir Fratley!" 

            Freya felt her stomach jump as she stood there frozen. The thought finally registered, and she nodded. "I…I will be there before sunset tomorrow night." She knew such a long journey would be tough, but she had no choice. Blankley, she looked at the speechless group and excused herself. "I must gather my things…I…" Not knowing what else to say, she hurried up to her room, glad she could get away from everyone before tears began to roll down her cheeks.

            Back at the table, the group was still stunned. No one said anything. Amarant suddenly stood up. "I'm going with her." He didn't have anything to pack, so he went upstairs and waited outside Freya's room. He could hear her quietly sobbing. A few seconds later, she emerged from the room, looking and sounding a bit more composed. "Goodbye, Amarant...." He cut her off. "I'm going with you. So you don't have to worry about battles or anything…" He pulled on the rune claws and headed out. Freya, who was still somewhat shocked, followed him outside the castle, not knowing what would happen next.

******

Well, there's chapter 3…I'm not sure what's going to happen yet, so if you have any suggestions, I appreciate it! Thanks!


	4. The Road Less Traveled

_"Freya, you're leaving soon, are you not?"_

_"Yes, I can hardly wait to see everyone."_

_"__Alexandria__…I went there many years ago…how long will it take to rebuild Burmecia?"_

_"I don't care, as long as I am with you."_

_"I love you, Freya."_

            Amarant watched as Freya tossed in her sleep. They had been traveling since eight in the morning, and it was well past midnight. They were two thirds of the way to Burmecia and had set up a tent. Bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, Amarant pulled out a rugged map and mentally went over the path they had taken. They had gotten much further in one day then he thought they would. They would be in the city well before sunset, as Freya had said. Closer to a little after noon, he guessed. Freya's head tossed from side to side as she muttered something incoherently. Amarant ignored it and went back to the map. He planned a course for the next day as best he could. He wasn't too familiar with the area around Burmecia. He spent most of his time in the southeast part of the continent, near Treno. 

_"How long will it take to rebuild Burmecia?"_

_"I don't care, as long as I am with you."_

_"I love you, Freya."_

            Freya's eyes jerked open and she sat up quickly, out of breath. "Fratley?" Amarant set down his map and looked at her. She looked around the tent, trying to get her bearings. She was shaking, and small beads of sweat had formed around her forehead. That conversation…she remembered it vividly, as if it had happened no more that an hour ago. She looked back at Amarant. "How do you feel?" she asked him.

            "Huh?" he questioned, not sure what she meant.

            "How tired are you? Are you up to moving on? It's obvious I won't be getting a good rest, and it would be a waste of time for me to stay." 

            Amarant was very tired. From being up late the night before, and then traveling all day, he was in need of a good rest. "Freya, it was one bad dream. Go back to sleep." With that, he began to make a bed for himself.

            But Freya was already wide awake. "Fine. I'll go on ahead by myself."

            "Freya, don't be foolish. It's almost one in the morning. We'll be heading out in no more than a few hours anyway. Go back to sleep," He repeated himself again, with a bit more edge.

             "No. I'm going on ahead," Freya said stiffly. Amarant rolled over so he wasn't facing her. "Fine. Do whatever you want, but I'm staying here."

            Freya picked up her spear, put her armor back on, and stepped out of the tent. She knew the area fairly well, and once she got closer, she could find the way with her eyes shut. Gripping the spear, she headed off. She felt a slight twang of guilt for leaving Amarant in the middle of nowhere, but she had to keep moving. Besides, it's not like she asked him to come. That was his own idea. She hadn't needed him there in the first place, and she certainly didn't need him to hold her back. 

            Amarant had fallen asleep soon after Freya had left, and it was now close to four that morning. He yawned in his sleep, and rolled over, but quickly sat up as a sharp pain hit him in the side. Looking down at what had caused it, he rolled his eyes as he realized he had rolled right onto his set of claws. Getting up, he wondered whether or not he should try to catch up with her. He felt a little guilty for not going with her…but not too much. As he shrugged it off, he picked up the map trying to figure where she would be about now. "She should be a few miles out by now," he thought. There was no way he could catch up with her on foot. He would need some sort of transportation, like…like a chocobo. Good chocobos were hard to come by these days, and most couldn't run for more than a mile at a time. Unless you had a quality one, they were more trouble than they were worth. But, right now, there was really no other choice, he thought as he picked up some greens and set out to catch a chocobo. 

            Lack of sleep was starting to heavily set in on Freya. Fighting off the monsters that littered the path didn't make it any easier. She was ill equipped for a journey from the start, and she was down to her last few potions and a few ethers. She was beginning to question if she'd actually make it to Burmecia when she was attacked from the back by an ironite. The flying dragon quickly swiped at her with a sharp claw. Freya quickly cast Reis's Wind and then jumped, hoping to gain as much health back as she could before she attacked. Levitating, and ready to pounce on her enemy, she positioned her Dragon's Hair right above her foe and started to descend. Driving the spear into the dragon, she realized it had been dead before she had even touched it with the spear. She became even more confused when she heard a sickly "Kwee…." She turned to find a chocobo that looked half dead and Amarant standing next to it, rune claws equipped and still in a battle stance. He straightened and walked over to dead dragon, searching for gil and any other items it might have had. Finding a hi-potion, he handed it to Freya. "You look like you need this more than I do."

            Freya took it, but didn't take her eyes off Amarant. "How long have you been following me?" she asked, not sure whether to be grateful for the help, or mad that he had left her in the first place.

            "Haven't been following you. Didn't start off until after four. It was luck that I actually found you. I'd have been here sooner if I could have found a halfway decent chocobo."

            Freya looked at the sun and guessed it was probably after nine. Amarant saw her eyelids were heavy and that she was having trouble keeping them open. "You should have listened to me last night, you know. You're in no condition to be traveling." They started to walk together and after a while, Freya felt a few small raindrops. Her spirits lifted as she knew they were getting closer. She began to walk slightly faster, and Amarant followed suit. Wordlessly, they continued to walk together until they entered the 'city of perpetual rain'.

***********

Well, there's chapter 4…please give me some feedback. I'm really trying to keep everyone as close to their character in the game as I can. I probably won't get to chapter 5 until Thursday night, so if you have any comments or suggestions please review or email me (ilac03@yahoo.com), especially suggestions concerning what to do with Fratley. Still not sure what's gonna happen to him…


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